Country stays in town!

[SMcGregor]

In case you missed the first story. Please refer to the post below!

http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthread.php?t=161136


OK--here's another great story... but with an even better ending. Picture attached:

It's midday, the sun is hot, skies are blue and beautiful but the high gusts are keeping us from going out on the boat. So, we're out fishing on the dock again. We've caught a few snapper but nothing too eventful on this gorgeous day. We, of course, have the patio furniture at the dock but I'm sitting in the chair holding my rod like any good and obedient Key West tenant. Shawn, too, is sitting on his patio chair holding his rod and smoking a good cigar. He decides to run in the house and get us some cool drinks. So, having learned a lesson from the Rednecks in Key West, Part I (see 'Country Comes to Town' blog), he takes his rod and instead of inserting it into the arm of the chair, he inserts the rod into the dock cleat (the thing you tie your boat to so it doesn't float off). He then takes the bow line (line coming from front of boat), wraps it around his reel and ties it to the cleat. I wasn't really paying attention to what he was doing and just knew he was somehow keeping the rod from going overboard in the event of a bite.

He goes into the house and I am sitting there holding my rod and soaking up some rays, when sure enough, Shawn's rod doubles over. I start screaming "Shawn, Shawn you got a bite!!" I go to grab the rod and well... it's all attached to the cleat with the bow line. So the fish is pullin' while I am trying to untangle the mess. Apparently, at some point, the drag had loosened and the fishing line was now wrapped around the bottom of the reel and back up around the bow line and cleat. How come our fishin' is never easy?!? Shawn comes out and is able to untangle the mess somehow and he's fightin' the fish! A little to the left in the canal, is a stand alone dock piling and sure enough, the fish starts heading that way and wraps himself around it. There are these large, sharp mussels and barnacles all around the piling and I am thinking... "No way is he going to be able to catch the fish now with the line wrapped around those barnacles." Shawn is trying like heck to get the line back around but the piling is too far out from the dock. But Shawn isn't giving up! Instead of cutting the line, he is holding it steady, trying to maneuver his way out or praying for the fish to change his course. While holding the rod with the fish still tugging,
Shawn jumps on our boat, which is tied to the dock, hoping it would get him close enough to unwrap the line from around the piling. He tried untying the boat so it would swing towards the piling, but the current was going the wrong way. Feeling bad for him, I say, "Let's get in the boat and drive around the piling. It's the only way." So I jump on the boat and Shawn is standing on the bow just holding the rod and fish steady, not letting the fish go any further but trying to keep the line from snapping. I start the engine, untie the boat lines and drive the boat around the piling to hopefully untangle the line.

Now, the neighbors are taking notice and come over to investigate what is happening. What's hilarious is that I am trying to maneuver our 17 foot boat around a piling that's 15 ft. from the dock, Shawn and I are screaming at each other, I'm trying not to hit the dock, the piling or the other neighbor's 45 ft boat while fighting the wind and current. I am going forward, then reverse, forward than reverse. The neighbor that ran over is trying to make sure our boat doesn't hit the dock and Shawn is standing on the bow of the boat, holding the rod and keeping the fish from going any further. I am thinking, "there is no way we are getting this fish. He's got the upperhand since he's wrapped around the piling. He needs to just cut the line." But Shawn is determined and said to keep going around the piling and I start yelling, "how do you know the fish has gone around that many times?" He says, "I don't know... just keep going!" So I start the second turn and somehow, Shawn was able to pull back on the fish from around the piling! He ends up reeling into the boat a 15" Jack Crevalle! I couldn't believe it! Shawn and I hi-five each other and the neighbors are shaking their heads. Shawn and I double over laughing.... it might be redneck but we caught the fish!!

Both stories were typed up my wife.. She is much better at work smithing then myself!

Shawn